Updated 03 February 2015

Imperial Tobacco launches caffeinated mouth strips

Imperial Tobacco Group, the world's third largest cigarette maker, is moving into caffeine as more people kick the deadly smoking habit, launching a melt-in-your-mouth strip designed to give an energy boost.

Imperial Tobacco Group, the world's third largest cigarette maker, is moving into caffeine as more people kick the deadly smoking habit, launching a melt-in-your-mouth strip designed to give an energy boost in seconds.

The product, called Reon, comes in flavours such as "grapefruit & zing" and "black currant & fresh". For now it is only sold in the English city of Manchester and online.

Developed by Imperial's Fontem Ventures subsidiary, Reon comes in packs of eight strips, each with 20mg of caffeine, or less than a third of the amount in a shot of Starbucks espresso. A pack costs about R44 ($4).

"We spent a lot of time with industry experts and consumers testing various product ideas and this one, caffeinated strips, always came back as No 1," Olga Rusnak, Fontem's lifestyle energy category director, told Reuters.

"People just love the idea of being able to have products that contain moderate amounts of caffeine right in your pocket, on the go."

Big tobacco firms are increasingly diversifying away from cigarettes, a market worth over $700bn a year at retail but shrinking in many countries for health reasons.

Manchester was selected because it has the second highest per-capita consumption rate of energy drinks in Britain after London and the company has good relations with retailers there. The rollout elsewhere depends on how Reon fares in Manchester.

The Reon caffeine strip. There are 8 strips in a packet. Image from Myreon.comOn the MyReon website they claim: Reon are handy, fast-dissolving caffeinated strips that you can take with you wherever you go. Just put one strip on your tongue and it will dissolve in seconds, releasing caffeine and filling your mouth with instant ?avour. Choose from Reon Caffeine Strips Grapefruit & Zing Flavour, Reon Caffeine Strips Blackcurrant & Fresh Flavour, or Reon Caffeine Strips Lemon & Hot Flavour.

Like other caffeinated products, Reon is not recommended for children but there are no restrictions on sales to minors.

Among other caffeine mouth strips already on the market is Sheets, launched by US basketball star LeBron James. Similar products have prompted concern among some health experts in Australia about the risks of overdose.

Caffeine strips tap into booming demand for energy drinks like Red Bull and Monster. Euromonitor International expects the global energy drink market to be worth more than R540 bn($47bn) by 2019 from nearly R 355 bn ($31bn) today.

How to enjoy Sheets caffeine strips. Each strip contains 100 mg Anhydrous caffeine (caffeine that is dehydrated). A cup of coffee typically contains 40 mg to 180 mg, depending on how it is brewed. Image from Sheetsbrands.com

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